Supply Security in uncertain times

Any good business with a Business Continuity Plan, should ensure that this includes all aspects of their supply chain. Some clients have made changes as a result of asking some of the questions below:

• Do you know the ultimate supplier of your key additives?
• Which chemical components are key to your retaining business with your most important customers? 
• Who holds the contingency stocks in the supply chain between the ultimate supplier and your customer (or sometimes even their customer)?

We go through a full risk analysis with clients, along the lines of the poster below, teasing out the real issues that could disrupt business.

This has been a dynamic process. Prompted by the tensions between the USA and China regarding tariffs, we developed questions regarding trade wars. Covid brought major disruptions to previously robust supplies, while the March 2021 blockage of the Suez canal brought new focus on just-in-time deliveries.